What BJP said on possibility of alliance with Naveen Patnaik’s BJD in Odisha
The Bharatiya Janata Party has ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha and set a target to secure 50 per cent votes in the 2024 elections in the state.
After attending a meeting with the BJP’s central leadership on Saturday, the party’s state vice-president Aparajita Sarangi told reporters that some persons with vested interests were spreading rumours that there was a possibility of an alliance between the BJD and BJP for the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly elections, which are usually held simultaneously in Odisha.
“Various issues were discussed at the meeting. There is no question of any alliance with any political party, including the BJD,” the BJP MP of Bhubaneswar told the media.
There were speculation about a possible alliance between the two parties after the BJD backed the BJP on the opposition’s no-confidence motion in Parliament in August, and the Delhi services bill that proposes that actions such as suspensions and inquiries of national capital’s officials would be under the control of the Centre. It was tabled in the Parliament amid an uproar in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over the Manipur violence.
In August, Union home minister Amit Shah and chief minister Naveen Patnaik met on the sidelines of official engagements, fuelling the speculation further over the possible partnership. The two heavy giants were in an alliance between 2000 and 2009.
Other leaders such as BJP president Manomohan Samal, leader of opposition Jaynarayan Mishra, the party’s national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, central observer Sunil Bansal and assistant observer Vijaypal Singh Tomar also attended the meeting.
Mishra said there will be a straight fight between the BJD and BJP in the elections as the Congress has lost its ground, news agency PTI reported.
“We will work to ensure that 50 per cent of the votes come to the BJP’s kitty,” Mishra was quoted as saying. He added that the BJP will contest all the 147 assembly seats and the 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha.
Mishra also said BJP workers and leaders would campaign, highlighting the benefits of the 157 welfare schemes of the central government.
Samal exuded hope that the BJP will form the next government in Odisha.
“This time, our focus will be winning assembly seats which will ultimately help in winning Lok Sabha seats. The BJP has targeted 50 per cent of votes in each polling booth,” he said.
Samal said if voted to power in the state, the BJP would ensure that the people who have been cheated by chit funds get back their hard-earned money “within 24 hours.
Claiming that the Centre has provided ₹18.83 lakh crore to Odisha in the last nine years, Samal said, “We demand that the state’s BJD government give account of this money to the people.”